Genesis 18:14

Posted on January 18, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

14 Numquid Deo quidquam est difficile? iuxta condictum revertar ad te hoc eodem tempore, vita comite, et habebit Sara filium.

Is anything too difficult for God? At the appointed time I will return to you at this same season, life being with me, and Sara shall have a son.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Numquid is it indeed that / is it possible that INTERROG.PART
2 Deo for God DAT.SG.M
3 quidquam anything NOM/ACC.SG.N.INDEF.PRON
4 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
5 difficile difficult NOM/ACC.SG.N.ADJ
6 iuxta according to PREP+ACC
7 condictum appointment / agreement ACC.SG.N
8 revertar I will return 1SG.FUT.DEP.IND
9 ad to PREP+ACC
10 te you ACC.SG.PRON
11 hoc this ABL.SG.N.DEMON.ADJ
12 eodem same ABL.SG.N.DEMON.ADJ
13 tempore time / season ABL.SG.N
14 vita life ABL.SG.F
15 comite being companion ABL.SG.F.NOUN
16 et and CONJ
17 habebit she will have 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
18 Sara Sarah NOM.SG.F.PROP.NOUN
19 filium son ACC.SG.M

Syntax

Rhetorical Question: Numquid Deo quidquam est difficile? — The interrogative particle Numquid introduces a rhetorical question expecting the answer “No.” Deo (“for God”) is a dative of reference, while quidquam (“anything”) serves as subject with difficile as predicate adjective. Together, the question asserts divine omnipotence.
Main Clause: iuxta condictum revertar ad te hoc eodem tempore, vita comite — A future promise: revertar (“I will return”) is deponent; iuxta condictum (“according to the appointment”) expresses fulfillment of divine timing. The ablative phrase hoc eodem tempore, vita comite means “at this same season, life being companion,” a Latin idiom denoting “while I live” or “as sure as life.”
Result Clause: et habebit Sara filium — A continuation of the divine promise: Sara as subject, habebit as future verb, and filium as object (“Sarah shall have a son”).

Morphology

  1. Numquid — Lemma: numquid; Part of Speech: interrogative particle; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces a rhetorical question expecting a negative; Translation: “is anything…?”; Notes: Expresses divine omnipotence and rebukes human doubt.
  2. Deo — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: dative of reference; Translation: “for God”; Notes: Indicates the one to whom the question pertains—YHWH’s power.
  3. quidquam — Lemma: quidquam; Part of Speech: indefinite pronoun; Form: nominative/accusative singular neuter; Function: subject; Translation: “anything”; Notes: Used in negative or rhetorical questions to mean “anything whatsoever.”
  4. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative, third person singular; Function: copula; Translation: “is”; Notes: Links subject “quidquam” to predicate adjective “difficile.”
  5. difficile — Lemma: difficilis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative/accusative singular neuter; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “difficult”; Notes: Contrasts divine capability with human limitation.
  6. iuxta — Lemma: iuxta; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses accordance; Translation: “according to”; Notes: Introduces divine timing “iuxta condictum.”
  7. condictum — Lemma: condictum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of “iuxta”; Translation: “appointment / agreement”; Notes: Refers to the previously stated divine schedule of fulfillment.
  8. revertar — Lemma: revertor; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: future indicative, first person singular; Function: main verb of promise; Translation: “I will return”; Notes: A deponent future indicating divine faithfulness.
  9. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses direction; Translation: “to”; Notes: Marks the destination of the divine return.
  10. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of “ad”; Translation: “you”; Notes: Refers to Abraham as recipient of divine promise.
  11. hoc — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative adjective; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: modifies “tempore”; Translation: “this”; Notes: Specifies the temporal setting of return.
  12. eodem — Lemma: idem; Part of Speech: demonstrative adjective; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: modifies “tempore”; Translation: “same”; Notes: Emphasizes the identical timing as previously mentioned.
  13. tempore — Lemma: tempus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: ablative of time; Translation: “time / season”; Notes: Specifies when the divine return will occur.
  14. vita — Lemma: vita; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: part of ablative absolute; Translation: “life”; Notes: Begins idiom “vita comite,” literally “life being companion.”
  15. comite — Lemma: comes; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: ablative absolute; Translation: “as companion”; Notes: Forms idiom meaning “so long as I live.”
  16. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links divine return to the resulting birth promise.
  17. habebit — Lemma: habeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “she will have”; Notes: Predicts Sarah’s future childbirth as fulfillment of covenant.
  18. Sara — Lemma: Sara; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject; Translation: “Sarah”; Notes: The matriarch to whom the promise is reaffirmed.
  19. filium — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: “son”; Notes: Object of “habebit,” specifying the promised child, Isaac.

 

About Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Born around 346 A.D. in Stridon, St. Jerome was a scholar fluent in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew whose ascetic discipline and deep engagement with Scripture prepared him for a monumental task: translating the Bible into Latin. Commissioned by Pope Damasus I around 382 A.D., Jerome began by revising the flawed Old Latin Gospels, then expanded his work to the entire Bible. For the New Testament, he corrected Latin texts using Greek manuscripts; for the Old Testament, he translated most books directly from Hebrew—a controversial but principled choice. His final Psalter, however, followed the Greek Septuagint tradition for liturgical use. This composite translation, later known as the Vulgate (editio vulgata), became the authoritative biblical text of the Western Church, formally endorsed at the Council of Trent in 1546. The Vulgate’s influence extends beyond theology into textual criticism and Latin education. As one of the earliest translations grounded in original-language scholarship, it offers a vital witness to the state of biblical texts in late antiquity. Jerome’s lexical and syntactic decisions are studied to trace manuscript history and assess variant readings. Its elegant Latin, consistent in grammar and rich in vocabulary, became a model for medieval and Renaissance learning, bridging classical and ecclesiastical Latin. More than a translation, the Vulgate helped define Christian doctrine, preserved the Latin language, and laid essential groundwork for the critical study of Scripture—remaining indispensable to students of Latin, theology, and textual history.
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